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September 2018

Ultimate Reading List Monthly Update

September 2018

One of our most popular features on Teenreads is our Ultimate Reading List, a selection of books that are compelling, beautifully written, pure fun, thought-provoking or edge-of-your-seat gripping; books that we would hand to someone and say, “read this!” This month, we're adding five amazing titles you're sure to love.

A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband --- these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone can see that these dreams aren’t too far out of reach. But the girl’s dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she’s been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life --- her future --- is hers to fight for.

Growing up on her own, Sadie's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him. When West McCray --- a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America --- overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Annabelle runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, not ready to think about the why yet, just the how. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person, TheTaker, that haunts her. Backed by Grandpa Ed in his RV, her brother and friends, she becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her run gains media attention but Annabelle cannot escape the guilt from what happened back home. They say it isn’t her fault, but she can’t feel the truth of that.

This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel and more, UNBROKEN will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present and future.

Eric Bittle may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking (anything that hinders the player with posession of the puck, ranging from a stick check all the way to a physical sweep). And then, there is Jack--- his very attractive but moody captain.

It's 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far away from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado --- until they were uprooted to dusty Texas, all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan. Haruko and Margot meet at the high school in Crystal City, a "family internment camp" for those accused of colluding with the enemy. With everything around them falling apart, the teens find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone --- even each other?